Ok so after the Salerno campaign we are looking at following it up with an American move north. The overall target is a campaign based around Monte Cassino, before we can get to that line we have to cover what happen previously. Now I know Jack and Gazza have been researching this so here is the post for us to pool the ideas and build the scenario.

I thought doing it on the forum would show everyone the process we/I go through when writing a campaign. Everyone is welcome to add ideas or do research if they are interested.

Knowing that Salerno is complete and we want to end at Monte Cassino the questions what happened between them two points and does it warrent a campaign or even multiple ones. The small research I have done is that there are 3 defensive lines VolturnoBarbaraBernhardtbefore Monte Cassino is attack also there was an out flanking landing at Anzio prior to Monte Cassino. I'm not sure exactly what happened or how well defended these lines where and it all needs to be researched and ideas for scenarios thought up to reflect and represent what occurred. Any body and everyone can have a gander and contribute to this, I just thought putting up my scenario writing process may help other players of all systems to have a go or just see the process.

I agree but is the Volturno line got enough history for a full campaign and then have any of those 3 lines or is it better for it to be one campaign of a set number of scenario, ie battles one for each line and anzio.

The Americans arriving at Anzio was a big surprise to the Germans and was not expected. This bold landing had the very real threat of cutting off the Germans at the Gustav Line and opening up the Allied Advance to Rome. The landings themselves went extremely well initially but unfortuantely for the Allies the overall commander General Lucas was an over cautious commander where a bold and daring leader was called for. He hesitated thinking that the Germans would spring a trap. The reality was no such German force was about but Kesselring reacted and responded very quickly to the landing by organising every spare unit available to quickly form a ring about the Anzio landings. While Lucas dithered the Germans reinforced their position. Every breakout attempt by the Allies was repulsed however at the same time the Germans could not dislodge the Allies with attacks of their own. Some 68000 Allied troops were onthe beaches with vehicles and Naval gunfire support. The whole affair turned into a stalemate allowing Kesselring to retreat his forces in good order from the Gustav line to a new defensive position. The infamous battles of Monte Cassino were still to come. By the time the Allies broke out of Anzio, due mainly to the bulk of the German defenders being withdrawn in line with Kesselrings plan. Ansio could have been a stunning success for the Allies and a crippling blow to the Germans. It is doubtful they would have been able to recover from such a battle. As it was the main German formations withdrew in good order and were more than ready at the next defensive position....The Gothic Line. Italy was going to be a hard slog for the Allies and not the soft underbelly they all hoped for. Diabolical for an attacking force...ideal terrain for the defenders.

Some cracking scenarios can be made for this campaign including Anzio Annie, The huge German rail gun brought in to pound the beaches.

I attach a complete decription of the battle giving the order of battle and the events which we could model a campaign. I have checked the entire article with my extensive library of WW2 and found the facts to be true and accurate.

The First defense line in Italy. Volturno Line battles.On the Adriatic coast, elements of the British 78th Infantry Division's 11th Brigade infantry crossed the Biferno at dawn on 3 October 1943 following an amphibious landing at Termoli by Commandos at 02:15. By late morning, the two elements had linked up and that night 78th Division's 36th Brigade were able to be landed by sea at Termoli. However, logistical problems had prevented the Allies building a heavy duty bridge across the Biferno and when the bulldozed fords were washed away by heavy rains that evening there remained no way to get tanks across the river to support the infantry. On hearing of the landings at Termoli, the German supreme commander in Italy—Generalfeldmarshall Albert Kesselring—ordered the 16th Panzer Division to switch to the Adriatic front, presenting a major threat to the unsupported Allied infantry. As news of the German armour's arrival came in on 4 October, 78th Division's commander—Major-General Evelegh—demanded priority from 8th Army resources for bridging equipment. As more German armour arrived, the Allied troops across the Biferno were forced onto the defensive. By the afternoon of 5 October, they had been squeezed back to within .5 mi (0.80 km) of Termoli. However, at the same time frantic round the clock efforts by engineers had resulted in a heavyweight Bailey bridge being completed allowing Canadian and British armour across the Biferno. That evening, 78th Division's 38th (Irish) Brigade arrived by sea at Termoli and the German attack the following morning was narrowly repulsed in desperate fighting. By late morning on 6 October, the Allies were on the attack and by late afternoon the Germans had started to fall back to the next prepared defences on the River Trigno, the Barbara Line.

US 5th ArmyOn the other coast, the U.S. 5th Army attacked across the Volturno on the night of 12 October. The Germans using rearguard tactics skillfully using the terrain which was favourable for defence, retreated to the next line north (the Barbara Line) which the Allies reached by 2 November.

Well chaps. looks we have some great battles to replicate here. Allied armies could be Regular American army, British Regular army, Commandos. Tanks delayed by poor weather. River crossing scenarios look like the biggest feature on our tables.

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